The present invention relates generally to an internal combustion engine cooled or heated by circulating a heat carrier such as cooling water etc, and more particularly to an internal combustion engine including a heat accumulation system for accumulating the heat held by the heat carrier.
In the case of executing a cold start-up of the internal combustion engine, a temperature of a wall surface of each of an intake port and a combustion chamber is low, and therefore a temperature of suction air is easy to decrease corresponding thereto. When the temperature of the suction air of the internal combustion engine is low, a fuel is hard to vaporize and is easy to adhere to the wall surface of the combustion chamber etc, and hence there is a necessity of increasing a quantity of fuel injection in a way that takes a wall surface adhered fuel quantity into account.
When the temperature of the suction air of the internal combustion engine is low, a temperature of an air/fuel mixture at a compression stroke is lowered, so that an ignitability of the fuel is easy to decline and a comparatively large quantity of fuel is easily discharged from the internal combustion engine as the fuel remains unburned.
Further, if the internal combustion engine is classified as a water cooled internal combustion engine, a temperature of the cooling water is lowered when performing the cold start-up of the internal combustion engine. It is therefore impossible to exchange the heat between the cooling water and the air for heating an interior of a car room and is difficult for an car room interior heating system to exhibit a sufficient performance.
Thus, when the internal combustion engine is in the cold state, there arise a variety of problems such as a decline of start-up property, an increase in quantity of fuel consumption, deterioration of an emission of exhaust gas or a decline of performance of the car room interior heating system.
To overcome the variety of problems given above, there have hitherto been proposed a heat accumulation system of an engine as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laying-open Publication No.6-185359 and a heating system for a vehicle as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laying-Open Publication No.10-309933.
The heat accumulation system of the engine disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laying-Open Publication No.6-185359, has a heat accumulator provided in a second cooling water passageway in a water cooled internal combustion engine including a first cooling water passageway extending via a cylinder block and the second cooling water passageway extending via a cylinder head.
This heat accumulation system of the engine is constructed to warm up preferentially the cylinder head by circulating the cooling water heated by the heat accumulator through the second cooling water passageway, thereby attempting to warm up an intake system and a fuel supply system.
On the other hand, the heating system for the vehicle disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laying-Open Publication No.10-309933, includes a water passageway for flowing the cooling water via the internal combustion engine and a heater core, a heat accumulation tank, provided more upstream in a cooling water flowing direction than the heater core, for reserving the cooping water in a way that keeps the heat, an exothermic body, provided more upstream in the cooling water flowing direction than the heat accumulation tank on the water passageway, for heating the cooling water flowing through the water passageway, and an electrically-driven pump, disposed more upstream in the cooling water flowing direction than the exothermic body on the water passageway, for feeding by pressure the cooling water flowing through the water passageway.
This heating system for the vehicle is constructed such that the high-temperature cooling water heated by the exothermic body is reserved in a heat accumulation tank and supplied to the heater core when the temperature of the cooling water is low as at a cold time, thereby enhancing a heating performance.
By the way, in the heat accumulation system of the engine disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laying-Open Publication No.6-185359, even after the high-temperature cooling water within the heat accumulator (which will hereinafter be called heat accumulation hot water) has reached the cylinder head, the cooling water continues to circulate, and hence the following problems (1)xcx9c(3) might arise.
(1) The heat accumulation hot water having arrived at the cylinder head from the heat accumulator is discharged from the cylinder head, and the low-temperature cooling water staying previously in the cylinder head again flows into the cylinder head. Therefore, the cylinder head heated by the heat accumulation hot water is cooled by the low-temperature cooling water.
(2) When the heat accumulation hot water flows somewhere other than the cylinder head, the heat of the heat accumulation hot water is transferred to a member excluding the cylinder head.
(3) If the heat accumulation hot water is circulated by an electrically-driven water pump, the electric power consumed by the electrically-driven water pump unnecessarily increases.
Further, in the heating system for the vehicle disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laying-open Publication No.10-309933, the internal combustion engine, the electrically-driven pump, the electric heater, the heat accumulation tank and the heater core are disposed in series sequentially from an upstream side of the cooling water flowing direction. Therefore, the following problems (a)xcx9c(c) might be caused.
(a) If there arises a necessity of supplying the heater core with the cooling water heated by the electric heater, a large quantity of cooling water in the circulation circuit extending via all of the internal combustion engine, the electrically-driven pump, the electric heater, the heat accumulation tank and the heater core, must be heated, resulting in an increase in consumption of the electric power and a decline of the heating performance. Especially because of a large thermal capacity of the internal combustion engine, the heat of the cooling water heated is absorbed by the internal combustion engine.
(b) In the case of supplying the internal combustion engine with the heat accumulation hot water in the heat accumulation tank, the cooling water having flowed out of the heat accumulation tank flows into the internal combustion engine after via the heater core, so that a flow resistance of the cooling water rises. In this case, a quantity of the heat accumulation hot water flowing into the internal combustion engine per unit time decreases, and a quantity of the heat transferred to the internal combustion engine from the heat accumulation hot water per unit time, also decreases corresponding thereto. Hence, the internal combustion engine is not sufficiently preheated, or it takes much time to preheat the internal combustion engine.
(c) When supplying the heater core with the high-temperature cooling water flowing out of the internal combustion engine, the cooling water having flowed from the internal combustion engine flows into the heater core after via the electrically-driven pump, the electric heater and the heat accumulation tank, whereby the flow resistance of the cooling water rises. In this case, a flow quantity of the cooling water flowing into the heater core per unit time decreases, and a quantity of the heat transferred to the air for heating from the cooling water per unit time in the heater core, also decreases corresponding thereto, with the result that the heating performance decreases.
Note that it can be considered for overcoming the problems (b) and (c) given above to individually provide a water passageway bypassing the heater core, a water passageway bypassing the electrically-driven pump and a water passageway bypassing the heat accumulation tank. A problem is, however, that the cooling water circulation circuit becomes complicated, and this leads to a poor mountability of the vehicle heating system into the vehicle.
It is a primary object of the present invention, which was devised to obviate the variety of problems described above, to provide a technology capable of efficiently promptly transferring a desired quantity of heat to an internal combustion engine or a heater core or a heat accumulation system in the internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system for reserving a heat carrier in a way that keeps the heat.
To accomplish the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, an internal combustion engine including a heat accumulation system, comprises an internal combustion engine body cooled or heated by circulating a heat carrier, a heater core for exchanging the heat between the heat carrier and the air for heating an interior of a car room, a heat accumulation system for reserving the heat carrier in a way that keeps the heat, a heat carrier heating mechanism for heating the heat carrier, a first heat carrier circulation route extending in circulation through the heat carrier heating mechanism and the heat core without through the internal combustion engine body, a second heat carrier circulation route extending in circulation through the heat carrier heating mechanism and the heat accumulation system without through the internal combustion engine body, and a third heat carrier circulation route extending in circulation through the internal combustion engine body and the heat accumulation system.
According to this construction, on the first heat carrier circulation route along which the heat carrier circulates through the heat carrier heating mechanism and the heater core, the heat carrier heated by the heat carrier heating mechanism is supplied to the heater core without via the internal combustion engine body. Further, on the second heat carrier circulation route along which the heat carrier circulates through the heat carrier heating mechanism and the heat accumulation system, the heat carrier heated by the heat carrier heating mechanism is supplied to the heat accumulation system without via the internal combustion engine body. Moreover, on the third heat carrier circulation route along which the heat carrier circulates through the internal combustion engine body and the heat accumulation system, the heat carrier reserved in the hear accumulation system in a way that keeps the heat can be supplied to the internal combustion engine body.
The cooling water and a lubrication oil may be exemplified as the heat carriers according to the present invention. Further, a combustion type heater for heating the heat carrier with combustion heat by burning a fuel in a combustion chamber separate from the internal combustion engine body, and an electric heater for heating the heat carrier by converting an electric energy into a thermal energy.
In the internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the first heat carrier circulation route, the second heat carrier circulation route and the third heat carrier circulation route may have a route in common to each other, and a pump mechanism for feeding the heat carrier by pressure may be disposed on the common route.
In this case, the circulation of the heat carrier along the first heat carrier circulation route, the circulation of the heat carrier along the second heat carrier circulation route and the circulation of the heat carrier along the third heat carrier circulation route, can be attained by the single pump mechanism.
In the internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system according to the present invention, the above circulation of the heat carrier can be established no only in a case where the first heat carrier circulation route and the second heat carrier circulation route have their route segment common to each other but also in a case where all the passageways of the first heat carrier circulation route are coincident with all the passageways of the second heat carrier circulation route, i.e., the first and second heat carrier circulation routes share all their passageways. In this case, the heat accumulation system as a whole can be constructed with a light weight.
In the internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the heat carrier heating mechanism, the heater core, the pump mechanism and the heat accumulation system may be disposed on a route common to the first heat carrier circulation route and the second heat carrier circulation route as well as being disposed in series in this sequence in a flowing direction of the heat carrier.
In the thus constructed internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system, the heater core is positioned just downstream of the heat carrier heating mechanism, and hence the heat given to the heat carrier from the heat carrier heating mechanism can be supplied to the heater core at a high efficiency.
The internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system according to the first aspect of the present invention may further comprise a first short-circuit passageway, diverging from more downstream in the heat carrier flowing direction than the heat accumulation system and connected to an upstream point of the heat carrier heating mechanism, for configuring a route extending in circulation through the heat carrier heating mechanism, the heater core, the pump mechanism and the heat accumulation system.
In the thus constructed internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation, In the thus constructed internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system, the route along which the heat carrier circulates through the heat carrier heating mechanism, the heater core, the pump mechanism and the heat accumulation system without via the internal combustion engine, can be easily configured.
The internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system according to the first aspect of the present invention may further comprise a second short-circuit passageway, diverging from more downstream in the heat carrier flowing direction than the heat carrier heating mechanism, connected to an upstream point of the pump mechanism and bypassing the heater core.
In the thus constructed internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system, the heat carrier heated by the heat carrier heating mechanism can be circulated without via the heater core, and therefore the high-temperature heat carrier heated by the heat carrier heating mechanism can arrive at the heat accumulation system without via the heater core.
In the internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the heater core and the heat accumulation system may be disposed in parallel with each other in the heat carrier flowing direction, and the first heat carrier circulation route and the second heat carrier circulation route may be configured so that a route extending in circulation through the pump mechanism, the heat accumulation system, the heat carrier heating mechanism and the heater core without via the internal combustion engine body, can be formed.
In the thus constructed internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system, it is feasible to selectively configure the circulation circuit in which the heat carrier flows via all of the internal combustion engine body, the heat carrier heating mechanism, the heater core, the pump mechanism and the heat accumulation system, the circulation circuit in which the heat carrier flows via only the internal combustion engine body and the pump mechanism, the circulation circuit in which the heat carrier flows via only the pump mechanism, the heat accumulation system, the heat carrier heating mechanism and the heater core, and the circulation circuit in which the heat carrier flows via only the internal combustion engine body, the heat carrier heating mechanism and the heater core without individually providing the passageway bypassing the heater core and the passageway bypassing the heat accumulation system and the pump mechanism.
In the internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system substantially according to the first aspect of the present invention, the heat carrier heating mechanism may be disposed more downstream in the heat carrier flowing direction than the heater core and more upstream than the heat accumulation system on the first heat carrier circulation route and the second heat carrier circulation route.
In this case, the heat accumulation system is disposed just downstream of the heat carrier heating mechanism, and it is therefore possible for the heat accumulation system to accumulate the heat given to the heat carrier from the heat carrier heating mechanism at a high efficiency.
To accomplish the above object, according to a second aspect of the present invention, an internal combustion engine including a heat accumulation system, comprises heat carrier flow passageways, formed in a cylinder head and a cylinder block of the internal combustion engine, for flowing a heat carrier through, a heat accumulation system for reserving the heat carrier in a way that keeps the heat, a heat carrier supply mechanism for supplying the heat carrier in the heat accumulation system to the heat carrier flow passageway of at least the cylinder head of the internal combustion engine when or before starting up the internal combustion engine, and a heat carrier supply stopping mechanism for stopping the supply of the heat carrier to the heat carrier flow passageway from the heat accumulation system when a predetermined condition is established after the heat carrier supply mechanism has started supplying the heat carrier.
In the thus constructed internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system, the heat carrier supply stopping mechanism supplies the heat carrier flow passageway in the cylinder head with the high-temperature heat carrier reserved in the heat accumulation system when or before starting up the internal combustion engine.
Upon a start of the supply of the heat carrier to the internal combustion engine from the heat accumulation system, the heat carrier supply stopping mechanism judges whether or not a predetermined condition is established. The predetermined condition is, for example, that a quantity of the heat carrier supplied to the hat carrier flow passageway from the heat accumulation system be equal to or larger than a predetermined quantity, and preferably that the high-temperature heat carrier reserved in the heat accumulation system flows in spread through at least the heat carrier flow passageway in the cylinder head (i.e., the low-temperature heat carrier staying in the heat carrier flow passageway in the cylinder head flows out of this heat carrier flow passageway, and, in place of this low-temperature heat carrier, the high-temperature heat carrier reserved in the heat accumulation system flows in spread through the heat carrier flow passageway).
The following is what can be exemplified as a method of judging that the quantity of the heat carrier supplied to the heat carrier flow passageway from the heat accumulation system is equal to or larger than the predetermined quantity. One method is to presume that a predetermined or larger quantity of heat carrier has been supplied to the heat carrier flow passageway from the heat accumulation system when a predetermined time elapses since the heat accumulation system has started supplying the heat carrier to the heat carrier flow passageway. Another method is to presume that a predetermined or larger quantity of heat carrier has been supplied to the heat carrier flow passageway from the heat accumulation system when a temperature of the cylinder head of the internal combustion engine becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. A further method is to presume that a predetermined or larger quantity of heat carrier has been supplied to the heat carrier flow passageway from the heat accumulation system when a temperature of a predetermined portion of the heat carrier flow passageway becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.
The heat carrier supply stopping mechanism may permit the supply of the heat carrier by the heat carrier supply mechanism till the predetermined condition described above is established, and stops the supply of the heat carrier by the heat carrier supply mechanism when the predetermined condition is established. Note that the hat carrier supply stopping mechanism may, after the predetermined condition has been established, permit the circulation of the heat carrier as far as an interior of the internal combustion engine is concerned.
In this case, it follows that the high-temperature heat carrier supplied from the heat accumulation system stays in or circulates through the heat carrier flow passageway, thereby restraining the low-temperature heat carrier previously staying in the heat carrier flow passageway from flowing again into the heat carrier flow passageway.
As a result, at least the cylinder head of the internal combustion engine receives the heat of the heat carrier and immediately rises in temperature. Temperatures of a wall surface of an intake port and of a wall surface of a combustion chamber also rise corresponding thereto, whereby the air sucked by the internal combustion engine receives the heat from the wall surfaces of the intake port and of the combustion chamber, and increases in temperature.
The internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system according to the second aspect of the present invention may further comprise a fuel injection inhibiting unit for inhibiting a fuel injection of the internal combustion engine during the supply of the heat carrier by the heat carrier supply mechanism to the heat carrier flow passageway from the heat accumulation system.
In this case, after the heat carrier supply stopping mechanism has stopped the supply of the heat carrier to the heat carrier flow passageway from the heat accumulation system, specifically, the high-temperature heat carrier reserved in the heat accumulation system flows in spread through the heat carrier flow passageway of the internal combustion engine, and thereafter the fuel injection is started.
As a result, the fuel injection is started after the temperature of the suction air has been raised. Therefore, the fuel becomes easy to vaporize, and the quantity of the fuel adhered to the wall surfaces of the intake port and of the combustion chamber decreases.
The internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system according to the third aspect of the present invention may further comprise a cranking unit for starting the cranking of the internal combustion engine after the heat carrier supply stopping mechanism has stopped the supply of the heat carrier to the heat carrier flow passageway from the heat accumulation system.
This is based on an assumption of the internal combustion engine including a mechanical pump for feeding by pressure the heat carrier by utilizing a rotational torque of an output shaft of the engine. It is because there might be a case where, if the cranking of the internal combustion engine is started when the heat carrier supply mechanism supplies the heat carrier to the heat carrier flow passageway from the heat accumulation system with the result that the mechanical pump is to be operated, the high-temperature heat carrier supplied to the heat carrier flow passageway from the heat accumulation system unnecessarily flows out of the heat carrier flow passageway, or the low-temperature heat carrier having flowed out of the heat carrier flow passageway flows again into the heat carrier flow passageway.
The internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system substantially according to the second aspect of the present invention may further comprise, in addition to the cranking unit described above, a fuel injection inhibiting unit for inhibiting the fuel injection of the internal combustion engine during a predetermined period since the cranking unit has started the cranking of the internal combustion engine.
In this case, a compression by only suction takes place in each of the cylinders of the internal combustion engine during a predetermined period since the cranking of the internal combustion engine has been started, and the wall surface inside the cylinder is warmed by the heat evolved when the suction air is compressed. As a consequence, it does not happen that the heat of the suction air is unnecessarily radiated to the wall surface inside the cylinder after the fuel injection has been started.
In the internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system according to the third aspect of the present invention, the heat carrier supply mechanism may have a heat carrier passageway for connecting the heat carrier flow passageway to the heat accumulation system, and a pump mechanism, operating independently of the internal combustion engine, for feeding the heat carrier by pressure existing in the heat carrier passageway.
In this case, the heat carrier in the heat accumulation system can be supplied to the heat carrier flow passageway by operating the pump mechanism even before starting up the internal combustion engine. Then, the heat carrier supply stopping mechanism stops the supply of the heat carrier to the internal combustion engine from the heat accumulation system by stopping the operation of the pump mechanism just when a predetermined condition is established.
To accomplish the above object, according to a third aspect of the present invention, an internal combustion engine including a heat accumulation system, comprises an internal combustion engine body cooled or heated by circulating a heat carrier, a heater core for exchanging the heat between the heat carrier and the air for heating an interior of a car room, a heat carrier flow circuit for circulating the heat carrier via sand internal combustion engine body and the heater core, a bypass connected to the heat carrier flow circuit so as to bypass the heater core, a heat accumulation system, provided on the bypass, for reserving the heat carrier in a way that keeps the heat, and a pump mechanism, provided on the bypass, for feeding the heat carrier by pressure existing in the bypass.
In the thus constructed internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system, the heat accumulation system and the pump mechanism are disposed on the bypass that bypasses the heater core, and it therefore follows that the heat accumulation system and the pump mechanism are positioned in parallel with the heater core in the flowing direction of the heat carrier.
When the heat accumulation system and the pump mechanism are in such a positional relationship as to be parallel with the heater core, it is feasible to selectively configure the circulation circuit in which the heat carrier flows via all of the internal combustion engine, the heater core, the heat accumulation system and the pump mechanism, the circulation circuit in which the heat carrier flows via only the internal combustion engine, the heat accumulation system and the pump mechanism, the circulation circuit in which the heat carrier flows via only the heat accumulation system, the pump mechanism and the heater core, and the circulation circuit in which the heat carrier flows via only the internal combustion engine and the heater core without individually providing the passageway bypassing the heater core and the passageway bypassing the heat accumulation system and the pump mechanism.
For instance, in the case of preheating the internal combustion engine in advance of starting up the internal combustion engine, the circulation circuit in which the heat carrier flows via only the internal combustion engine, the heat accumulation system and the pump mechanism, is configured, and the pump mechanism is operated.
In this case, the high-temperature heat carrier in the heat accumulation system flows into the internal combustion engine without via the heater core, and it does not happen that a flow resistance of the heat carrier increases on the flow route extending from the heat accumulation system to the internal combustion engine.
As a result, there decreases neither a flow quantity of the heat carrier flowing into the internal combustion engine per unit time nor a quantity of the heat transferred to the internal combustion engine from the heat carrier per unit time corresponding thereto.
Further, when heating the air for heating an interior of a car room under such a condition that the temperature of the heat carrier flowing out of the internal combustion engine is comparatively high, the circulation circuit in which the heat carrier flows via only the internal combustion engine and the heater core, is configured.
In this case, the high-temperature heat carrier having flowed out of the internal combustion engine flows into the heater core without via the heat accumulation system and the pump mechanism, and there is no possibility in which the flow resistance of the heat carrier increases on the flow route extending from the internal combustion engine to the heater core.
As a consequence, there decreases neither a flow quantity of the heat carrier flowing into the heater core per unit time nor a quantity of the heat transferred to the car room interior heating air from the heat carrier per unit time corresponding thereto.
The internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system according to the third aspect of the present invention may further comprise a shut-off mechanism for shutting off a flow of the heat carrier into the bypass and/or the heater core.
This is because the heat carrier is prevented from unnecessarily flowing into the heater core in the case of configuring the circulation circuit in which the heat carrier flows via only the internal combustion engine, the heat accumulation system and he pump mechanism in order to preheat the internal combustion engine in advance of starting up the internal combustion engine or because the heat carrier is prevented from unnecessarily flowing into the heat accumulation system in the case of configuring the circulation circuit in which the heat carrier flows via only the internal combustion engine and the heater core in order to preheat the car room interior heating air under such a condition that the temperature of the heat carrier flowing out of the internal combustion engine is comparatively high.
In the internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system according to the third aspect of the present invention, the heat accumulation system may have a heat carrier inflow port via which the heat carrier flowing through the bypass flows into the heat accumulation system, and a heat carrier outflow port via which the heat carrier in the heat accumulation system flows out toward the bypass, and the heat carrier inflow port and/or the heat carrier outflow port may be provided with a counterflow preventive mechanism for preventing a counterflow of the heat carrier.
In this case, the low-temperature cooling water in the heat carrier circulation circuit and in the bypass does not unnecessarily flow into the heat accumulation system.
In the internal combustion engine including the heat accumulation system according to the third aspect of the present invention, the internal combustion engine may include a head-sided cooling water passageway along which the heat carrier flows through a cylinder head, and a block-sided cooling water passageway along which the heat carrier flows through a cylinder block, and the heat accumulation system and the pump mechanism may be, when preheating the internal combustion engine in advance of starting up the internal combustion engine, constructed so that the heat carrier reserved in the heat accumulation system flows into the head-sided cooling water passageway and subsequently into the block-sided cooling water passageway.
In this case, the heat carrier supplied to the internal combustion engine from the heat accumulation system flows into the head-sided cooling water passageway and subsequently into the block-sided cooling water passageway, and hence the heat of the heat carrier is transferred preferentially to the cylinder head.
As a result, there rises a temperature of each of the wall surfaces of the combustion chamber and of the intake port provided in the cylinder head, and vaporization of the fuel is speeded up when and after starting up the internal combustion engine. In addition, a temperature of an air/fuel mixture is raised, and it is possible to enhance a start-up property, stabilize the combustion and speed up a warm-up.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a heat carrier supply control system comprises a heat-supplied body formed with a heat carrier flow passageway for flowing a heat carrier therethrough, a heat carrier supply mechanism for supplying the heat carrier to a heat carrier flow passageway of the heat-supplied body, and a heat carrier supply stopping mechanism for stopping a supply of the heat carrier to the heat-supplied body when a predetermined condition is established after the heat carrier supply mechanism has started supplying the heat carrier.
What needs the warm-up at a cold time as in the case of the internal combustion engine, a fuel injection valve of the internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, a battery etc, may be exemplified as the heat-supplied body defined herein.
In the thus constructed heat carrier supply control system, the heat carrier supply mechanism supplies the high-temperature heat carrier to the heat carrier flow passageway of the heat supplied-body at the cold time etc of the heat-supplied body.
When the heat carrier supply mechanism starts supplying the heat carrier to the heat-supplied body from the heat accumulation system, the heat carrier supply stopping mechanism judges whether or not a predetermined condition is established. The predetermined condition given above is, for example, that the quantity of the heat carrier supplied to the heat carrier flow passageway is equal to or larger than a predetermined quantity (which is equal to or larger than, e.g., 50%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 100% of the capacity of the heat carrier flow passageway).
The heat carrier supply stopping mechanism permits the supply of the heat carrier by the heat carrier supply mechanism till the predetermined condition described above is established, and stops the supply of the heat carrier by the heat carrier supply mechanism when the predetermined condition is established. Note that the heat carrier supply stopping mechanism may permit the circulation of the heat carrier as far as an interior of the heat-supplied body is concerned after the predetermined condition has been established.
In this case, the high-temperature heat carrier supplied by the heat carrier supply mechanism mainly stays in or circulates through the heat carrier flow passageway of the heat-supplied body, and, even if the heat carrier supply mechanism and the heat carrier flow passageway communicate with each other via a circulation route, the low-temperature heat carrier previously staying in the heat carrier flow passageway is retrained from flowing again into the heat carrier flow passageway.
As a result, the heat of the heat-supplied body is not absorbed by the low-temperature heat carrier, and the heat-supplied body receives the heat of the high-temperature heat carrier and immediately rises in temperature.